


Decisions, Decisions

by yogneet (xZr0_emptyenigma)



Series: Empty [Back]Space [1]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Multi, introduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 20:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2402597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xZr0_emptyenigma/pseuds/yogneet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First chapter of my <i>Yogs Space AU</i>, in which the crew aboard Lewis' ship argue about their next destination and encounter a stranger on their ship. </p><p>“If none of you are going to make a decision, I say we head south.<br/>The ‘Lineico’ constellation, to be exact.<br/>Hop to it.<br/>We’re in a hurry.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Decisions, Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Just a note, this story is going to be slow in progressing. Some chapters will occur at the same time, some will be "prequel" chapters, and it's all going to be a big mess. Stick with me if you can! :) 
> 
> Also, some universally accepted headcanons may not apply here. I won't spoil which ones, I'll just let you find out as everything unfolds. 
> 
> [SPECIAL NOTE: Some bits are missing thanks to google docs, so please ignore any grammar mistakes, missing punctuation etc. I will get round to editing it in the future. Thanks!]

“Have we picked our co-ordinates, cap’n?” Sips yelled gleefully as he swivelled the pilot’s chair 360 degrees. Xephos tried to disguise how annoyed he was by his friend’s overenthusiastic approach to this trip and instead focused his attention on the map once more, scrutinising every inch of it and taking note of all the pointless details in the hope it would make his decision even the slightest bit easier. Lalna, who had been leant up against one of the control panels towards the back of the room, made his way across to Sips and rested a hand gently on the back of the chair, stopping it almost immediately.

“Hey!” He growled in protest, “I’m tryin’ to make some entertainment for myself while Captain Grumpy Pants over there takes six millennia to decide where he wants to go! Just leave the pilot to it, okay?” “I’m trying my best Sips.

"If you want to make the decision, then please, be my guest.” Xephos retaliated. Sips shrugged his shoulders in an over-the-top fashion but continued to spin, unperturbed by the pair’s aggravated response. Lalna opened his mouth to say something but Xeph raised his right hand in protested, rubbing his temple with his free hand. The blonde scientist brushed it off, and went back to his corner of the room. Once there he examined the brightly light buttons and flashing dials, before adjusting a few of the tuners and flicking a couple of switches. Having done this, the room began to feel much cooler; Xeph imagined that his companion had switched on the coolant unit, much to his relief. It gave him the impression of being outside in the fresh air, which calmed his nerves considerably. He studied the map for what felt like the hundredth time in the space of only a few minutes, still unsure as to what direction he should push. West seemed like a reasonable way to go, but he was concerned about a supernova only a few hundred meters from their set course. East may have been a better solution, if it hadn’t been for the unidentified signal that interfered with their coms anytime they headed even remotely in that direction. He huffed, bewildered by this massive decision. It all rested on him, a heavy and uncomfortable weight on his lean shoulders. He muttered obscenities under his breath while he read. Above all else, his indecisiveness was his biggest weakness. At that moment, the main doors slid open and Sjin walked in with a spring in his step and a grin on his face. All of the slightly frustrated crew turned to look at him, each with an unintentionally irritated glare that caused Sjin’s skipping to grind to a halt. He stood stationary in the centre of the room for a moment, feeling like he was being inspected vigorously, before opening his mouth hesitantly to speak:

“Uh... I’ve just been on the coms with the Hat guys... they were just wondering if... we’d picked a destination ye--”

“I swear to god,” Xeph interrupted, his anger finally bubbling out of him in an explosive torrent of abuse, “if I get asked ONE MORE TIME if I’ve chosen a spot yet, I will chuck each and everyone one of you out of the airlock!” Having now cooled down, and feeling much less stressed now that he’d vocalised his thoughts, he relaxed back into his chair with a hearty sigh, using his feet to sway it slightly from side to side. This received a disapproving glance from Sips, who tut-tutted at him and pointed to him with one of his short, gloved fingers.

“Now now, Xeph, shouldn’t be setting a bad example to the rest of your crew!” He scolded, waggling his finger at him. They both exchanged a long and uncomfortable look, before bursting into fits of giggles, joined by the other members of the cock-pit crew. The laughter carried on for a while until it faded back into comfortable silence. Sjin sat joined the crew and sat down in his chair near the front of the ship, glancing over at Sips as the pair spun their chairs in sync. Xephos took a moment to just admire the room and all the work that had gone into it. The million little switches they hadn’t yet investigated, the smooth floors cleaned so bright you could see your reflection in them, the windshield that gave them all a spectacular view of the cavernous abyss that was outer space, just an inch or so away through a pane of glass. That was it. So close they could almost reach out and grab up a handful of stars like popcorn.

 

Analysing his surrounding so thoroughly gave Xeph a nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach; it was a natural reaction powered by his primal instincts, but it still made him uneasy. Surely if he was feeling unsure or uncomfortable, that meant something was wrong... but how could he know for sure? It must have been a consequence to thinking so deeply about everything. Thinking about the vast emptiness of space reminded him of Honeydew and Lomadia, thousands of miles away from him. His dwarven companion had left only a few months ago in order to go and help Nano set up here own space station, about a week or so’s travel from where they were currently positioned. She was hoping to use her resources to make a radio station, a hub where she could transmit music throughout the galaxy to all her companions, no matter how far away they might be from her. The idea itself was cute, and while Xeph knew it wasn’t actually achievable, he hadn’t the heart to break the bad news to her, and had sent Honeydew in his place to help her with her impossible goals. Lomadia... where to begin. He hadn’t seen her in the flesh for, what, a year? No, not a year. Eight months? That seemed more likely. He missed her deeply, but he knew that he should be grateful he even got to see her at all, virtual image or otherwise. Other people weren’t so fortunate; video communication systems were quite expensive and difficult to come across nowadays, with more advanced and incredibly dear technology appearing every day. They had even been able to make plans to meet very recently, and he had been counting down the days until he’d get to hold her close once more. The thought of hugging her tightly to him, as though he could never bring himself to let go, brought his nerves down once more to ground level. He opened his eyes, not having realised they had been closed, to find Lalna a few feet in front of him, looking down in dismay. Levering himself out of the chair, Xeph approached his companion with caution, placing a lean hand gently on his shoulder. A jolt ran through his friend’s body, probably due to shock, and he looked over at him with a surprised expression.

“Sorry. I was in my own little world there.” He grinned, running a hand through his messy mop of hair. Xeph considered his next words carefully, not wanting to upset or offend his friend.

“Do you miss Nano? Just... out of interest. No need to answer, if you don’t want to.” He asked eventually, all of his words spewing from his mouth in a flurry. Lalna looked at him quizzically, and opened his mouth to speak, but instead he just chuckled and shook his head calmly.

“Yeah.” He said with a strong sense of certainty, “Yeah I do, I miss her a lot. I miss the short jokes and the flux and the bubble guns. Does that make you feel better about Honeydew?” Xephos dragged away from the point in the distance he had been fixated on, and allowed them to focus on his fellow comrade, whose face was the picture of self-satisfaction for having been able to read the spaceman like a book. Letting his emotions play on his face was a rare occurrence, and one Xeph hoped to avoid in the future, especially with Lalna. He had a habit of letting these things get to him.

“Don’t become too smug, friend. I promise you it won’t happen again.” Xeph assured him.

“No worries; you are allowed to display some emotions, maybe just occasionally.” He smirked and patted his shoulder encouragingly. With a roll of his eyes, Xeph moved back to his seat, settling down and looking at the map. He stared and stared, turned the map around, folded it up in different directions; nothing seemed to make it any clearer to him. In a fit of vexation, he tossed the map to one side, letting it fall open onto the floor. His head flopped, defeated, into his hands. There was silence in the cabin, except for the sounds of spinning chairs and periodic laughter from Sjin. Then, there were footsteps. Quiet, gentle, barely noticeable. Peeking through a gap in his fingers, Xeph watched as a pair of feet approached the map. The figure, whom he had quickly realised was not part of his crew, bent down and retrieved the discarded map, flattening it deftly and efficiently into a neat square. Before anyone had a chance to react to the sudden appearance of a stranger aboard their ship, he spoke. A broad American accent filled the room, far too confident and cool for Xeph’s liking. It was a voice he recognised, embarrassingly quickly, as Will Strife. What he said next could have been passed off as just another cocky statement from the bold American. Little did the crew know that what he was about to say would become a mark; the start of something so big that it was unfathomable, incomprehensible...

“If none of you are going to make a decision, I say we head south.

The ‘Lineico’ constellation, to be exact.

Hop to it.

We’re in a hurry.”


End file.
